OH: Devil in the Details. “Tesla has little chance of hitting its 5,000 weekly output during the fou…

OH: Devil in the Details. “Tesla has little chance of hitting its 5,000 weekly output during the fourth quarter. The chief reason: Its current production line can’t build vehicles at that rate unless it runs two 10-hour shifts seven days a week, which is unlikely.”

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A source in position to know says a second body shop mirroring Fremont’s would be required to support the high volume Musk has forecast. “I understand they’re talking about a second body shop,” he says, “but I can’t see them reaching 2,500 to 3,000 weekly until the end of next year” with current production facilities.

Tesla had a slow launch to full production for both the Model S and Model X, but Musk already is looking to add future SUVs and even pickups.

Knowledgeable sources say Tesla’s Model 3 launch has been hampered by all manner of problems, some self-inflicted because of Musk’s disdain for using development and production processes honed by traditional auto makers.

Most importantly, Tesla bypassed production prototyping typically used by auto makers to catch glitches before gearing up for high-volume output and instead sought to save time by using a “pilot line” to check out processes. “Using prototyping you can make changes and it doesn’t cost as much,” says one source.

At some point, the hundreds of thousands of people who placed a deposit on a Model 3 are going to expect to take delivery — either of a car or of a refund.

During an interview broadcast on Wednesday’s edition of CNN’s “AC360,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for President Trump to resign over the sexual assault allegations against him and argued the president “has some very serious emotional problems.” Sanders reacted to Trump’s tweet about Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) by stating, “I think you’ve got a president who […]